Finerday launches 'Yesterday' for people with dementia
Dementia costs the UK £23bn a year – more than cancer and heart disease combined – and by 2025, there will be more 1 million sufferers.
People with dementia respond well to online material and media, so a new approach is being led by Finerday.com, the e-accessible, inter-generational platform, designed to help older or disabled people and their families and carers use the net to share messages, photos and memories.
It’s just launched OurYesterday.org, a free website offering interesting and entertaining reminiscence, nostalgia and memories for older people, carers, and families to share. The content is designed to support reminiscence and stimulating activities using the internet.
Yesterday could offer a scalable and sustainable solution for people with dementia, their carers, friends and family.
Reminiscence Therapy
Lots of evidence shows that ‘reminiscence therapy’ or ‘reminiscence work’, which involves the discussion of past activities, events and experiences, (and usually include prompts such as photos, memories and music), could be effective in tackling dementia; trials have shown significant improvements in cognition and mood for 4-6 weeks after treatment, as well as reductions in stress for caregivers.
Finerday and Yesterday offer significant opportunities to positively affect reminiscence therapy and care for people with dementia as:
- They maintain the identity of the person with dementia, providing for and enhancing personal and family memories, or biographies, and encourages additional and engaging input from family and friends.
- They can be used in personal and group sessions, increasing communication with others with dementia and care-staff.
Why not take a look for yourself and see what you think? Finerday’s also helping to improve well-being and inter-generational relationships through technology in its other projects; Go ON Adopt is bringing together older people in care homes with young digital champions who’re passing on their valuable IT skills.
